Saturday, December 20, 2014

Wrapping it Up: Fall Semester and Christmas Gifts

Amazingly, we are wrapping up the fall semester while it actually still feels like fall. Usually at this time of the year it feels pretty wintery, but with the lack of snow on the ground it’s hard to believe that it’s Christmas time. And that means I’ve got to wrap up a few other things – Christmas gifts!

As I have said in my previous blog post, I will be completing my Audio-Video certificate this semester. I’m amazed at how much I have learned and how many portfolio pieces I’ve created in just three semesters. I have commercials, animated logos, instructional videos, green screen and product videos, and an animated infographic (just to name a few) to include in my portfolio.

So, what’s next for me now that I’ve earned my certificate? I will be taking a short break from blogging, but I will be back to share the next stage in the life of an MPTC graduate. I will be exploring alumni opportunities and sharing my job search progress. I will be continuing my internship and using my research and learning skills I’ve developed at MPTC to learn some new things on my own. I’ve been encouraged by my instructors to participate in Portfolio Night, which is held once per academic year, at the end of the spring semester.

Congratulations to all the college students who are wrapping up the semester. Take a much-needed break, enjoy some time with your family and friends and have a very happy holidays!

Saturday, December 6, 2014

The Process of Planning an Animated Infographic

The funny thing about creative projects is it’s very easy to do one of two tings: Jump right into creating something or feel overwhelmed by the blank page in front of you. The problem with both of these scenarios is there is no planning involved. And as we learned in our Pre-Production class, lack of planning costs more time, money and includes more roadblocks.

That’s why when I sat down to work on my latest Post-Production assignment, an animated infographic, I decided I was going to invest in the pre-production process before jumping into creating it. And it really made things go smoothly, and I’m very pleased with the outcome.

Everyone has a different process, but I thought I’d share what I’ve learned about the planning process through completing my assignments.

Step 1: Understand the concept and choose a topic

We were given an assignment to create an animated infographic based on a topic we chose. An infographic is a visual way to represent information. I began planning for my project by watching several animated infographics to get a better understanding of what they were and get some ideas. I chose to create a self-promotional infographic. I thought it would serve a dual purpose of showing future employers I could make a video like this and also present information about myself.

Step 2: Gather, Group and Organize the Facts

Now that I knew what an animated infographic was and had a topic to pursue, it was time to gather the facts. I tried to quantify facts about myself since much of the infographics I saw included lots of statistics. I wrote down how many blogs I’ve written, how many social media accounts I’ve managed, years of experience I had in certain fields and more. I then took my long list of facts and grouped them into categories and put those categories into an order that seemed logical to me. In the margins I made a few notes and thumbnail drawings of the images and animations I thought I might use.

Step 3: Storyboard the video and choose a visual theme

At this point I was feeling very good about the project. Ideas were coming to me, and I could see it staring to form in my head. I drew a storyboard in my notebook of the different panels I would create. I jotted notes on the animations I would use to move from panel to panel. I chose a color scheme and the fonts for the video.

Step 4: Create the Graphics

Based on the storyboard, I knew what graphics I was going to create. Some of my graphics I was going to need to create in Photoshop before working in After Effects, where the video would be put together. This step was very helpful. If I had jumped right into working in After Effects, I would have been jumping between After Effects and Photoshop, creating the graphic once I got to that part in the video. While this would have worked just fine I assume, the workflow went much smoother.

I should also mention that this is when I created a folder specifically for this project. All my files went into this folder. That way, I wouldn’t have trouble finding where my files were and if I needed to move the project to another computer or storage device, it would be very simple to do so.

Step 5: Create the Video

When I opened a new project in After Effects, I imported the graphics I made in Photoshop. I followed the storyboard I made earlier. I made a few changes as I began to put it together, but there really wasn’t much trial and error like you have when you jump right into making something without planning.

Even though this project was complicated, by researching and planning I didn’t feel overwhelmed. There was no staring at a blank project, getting stuck part way through making the video or starting over because I didn’t like what I made. I think I ended up with a video that is well thought out and has a consistent look. I’m glad I invested in the planning process.



How do you plan creative projects? Please share your tips and thoughts in the comments.